Penance
by drakien
Summary: Snape receives an unexpected visitor late one night. Takes place some time early in Book 6. HG/SS


Title: Penance

Rating: T (for mentions of DE activities)

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters; I just play with them from time to time.

A/N: This was written for rickmanlover24601. I started it for her as a graduation present last May (2010), and promised it would take a week or two. Months later, it was a Christmas present. Pretty sure she loves me a whole lot, as she hasn't beaten me for not posting it until now.

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>The incessant knocking on his door woke Severus up in a foul mood. The banging it became had him swearing and pulling on his robe, vowing to rip out the fingernails of whomever was causing the racket; it was rare for him to sleep for any length of time, and he'd been in the middle of a particularly good dream.<p>

As he stalked through the sitting room, the part of him that _wasn't_ seething wondered who it was.

Albus and Minerva (and just about any of the staff, really) would've used the Floo. The pounding was reminiscent of something Hagrid would do, but he'd be shouting and/or wailing as well, if he were in need of something so seemingly urgent.

So who did that leave? A student? Certainly not. For one thing, the location of his chambers was a closely guarded secret…Confundus charms, wards, and sneaky traps aside (though Albus had made him remove the most maiming of those), only the staff knew how to find him once he'd retired for the evening. Besides, even if a student _were_ to know his whereabouts, who among them would be foolish enough to seek him out?

Maybe it was Aurors, finally come to take him to Azkaban once and for all. Merlin knows he deserved it.

Irritated beyond measure, he finally reached the door (where the banging still was in progress) and yanked it open…

To reveal a disheveled Hermione Granger.

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>He blinked, clearly surprised to see her.<p>

She was a mess.

Her face was blotchy and red, and there were muddy tracks down her cheeks where her tears were still falling, though he could see that she was trying to get them under control.

While still in her school uniform, it was dirty and torn; only the white-knuckled grip of one of her hands kept her blouse together...the buttons were gone.

Fine tremors shook her frame, making her almost appear to vibrate.

Before he could say anything, however, she spoke.

"I need your help."

Her voice was raspy, as though she'd been shouting for a long period of time. He looked her over again. Not shouting, he thought. Screaming.

And then her scent hit him.

Blood. Sex. And the distinctive cologne of Lucius Malfoy.

Without a word, he opened the door wider and stepped to the side, allowing her to enter.

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>He noticed that she flinched slightly when the door closed, but otherwise stood still.<p>

"Come with me," he said softly, then led the way back to his quarters. She followed quietly.

She stopped just inside the door, watching as he walked over to his wardrobe, opened it, and tugged two items out. He walked back over to her, and she absently noted that he was approaching her slowly, as if not wanting to startle her. He even failed to loom or sneer as he offered her the clothes.

"Here is a shirt and a robe; they will obviously be too big, but they are clean and undamaged." When she gathered the fabric in her arms, he pointed to a door on the far wall. "The bathroom is through there. Shower. You will find wash cloths and towels in the cabinet under the sink."

He paused, eying her carefully. "Do not scald yourself with the water. Do not scrub yourself raw. No amount of washing will really make it all go away, but you can remove the physical evidence, and the scent of the one who did it."

"_Ones_," she corrected softly.

Snape's eyes hardened and he cursed under his breath. "I will have potions ready for you when you are finished, and then you will sleep. We will speak further in the morning."

She just nodded and walked to the bathroom.

He stood where he was until he heard the lock on the door slide into place.

Snape let loose a string of curses. No, it hadn't been the Aurors at his door. This was something far worse. Behind that wooden door was his penance, come alive.

When he heard the shower turn on, he left to go to his private lab, mentally cataloging the things he'd need to brew.

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>When he returned from the lab with a tray of vials, she sat huddled in the corner of his sofa. The fact that his clothes dwarfed her made her seem even more frail and child-like. Her eyes told a different story.<p>

He sat down on the opposite end, placing the tray between them.

"This will ease the muscle aches, and speed the healing of the bruises," he offered her a vial containing a blue potion, which she drank, making a face as she swallowed.

"That is _vile_," she shuddered.

"That's how you know it is effective," he said with a straight face as he held up the next one.

"This will take care of any…complications…that may arise."

He didn't say 'pregnancy', and she didn't need him to explain. She bolted that one back as well.

Making sure he had her attention, he held out a tiny vial of a potion that was the misty grayish color of fog. "This potion is called '_Memoria Summissus_'. It is illegal to brew and distribute without a permit. It is designed to dim the memory of events that transpired roughly twenty-four hours prior ingestion. It does not erase them; merely makes them seem as though they had happened a very long time ago."

"Do you have the permit?"

"No."

He watched her think it over, sure she was going to refuse.

"Tomorrow," she finally said. "After we talk." Hermione drew in a deep breath, shuddering as she exhaled. "I need to remember, for that. I need to bleed it off. Then I'll take the potion."

Snape nodded, understanding. His lips twisted wryly. Out of all the people she could have come to, she'd come to him. She hated him, feared him even, yet she chose him over everyone else in her life.

"I came here because you would understand," she told him, as if she could read his thoughts. "Out of everyone, you would understand. You wouldn't make a fuss, wouldn't crowd me or bombard me with questions. You wouldn't poke or prod, or offer sympathy or pity. Any of that would have made me scream."

She met his eyes squarely. "I've screamed enough tonight."

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>Neither one knew how to proceed from there, and the silence stretched between them.<p>

"I didn't expect this, you know," she finally said quietly.

"Nobody expects this sort of thing to happen to them, Miss Granger."

She shook her head. "No, not that. Here, tonight. I knew you would be able to help, but I didn't expect you to be so…kind."

Damn and blast if he didn't feel his cheeks heating up. "Yes, well." He cleared his throat. "I may be a foul-tempered bastard, Miss Granger, but I am human. You were in need of assistance, and I was able to provide it. If I ever hear mention of this night among the student body, however, rest assured that I will use your spleen for potions ingredients."

He scowled darkly, but could tell it no longer intimidated her. Bollocks.

The clock on the mantle chimed 3 AM, reminding him how late (or was it early?) it was.

"Come with me, Miss Granger," he instructed, holding out a hand.

When she tentatively slid her hand into his, she was surprised at how warm it was. He wordlessly led her back to his bedroom, stopping when he felt her stiffen slightly.

Snape held up another small vial. "Dreamless Sleep," he identified it. "You need to rest. I will be on the lounge in the other room, should you have need of me."

He waited until she'd crawled into his bed and emptied the vial before turning to leave. He paused at the door, and just as the potion was taking effect, she could have sworn that she heard him speak.

"Rest well, Miss Granger. No harm will come to you here."

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>Four hours later, Hermione awoke in a panic, not knowing where exactly she was. Her eyes darted around the strange room as her breathing got quicker and quicker.<p>

Then it all came rushing back, and she burst into tears.

She felt the bed beside her sink, and knew it was him. Her professor, the Head of her rival House…the man who had provided sanctuary to her last night. She was glad he didn't try to hold her; the thought of being touched was enough to make her stomach roll. He didn't offer any false platitudes, either…just sat and waited for her to cry herself out.

When her sobs had tapered off to shudders and the occasional hiccup, Snape spoke. "I had my House Elf bring you a new uniform. The Elf is sworn to the House of Snape, not the school; you may be assured of her discretion. When you are ready, shower and get dressed. I will have some additional potions along with breakfast when you have finished."

She nodded, and he stood up and left her to get ready.

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><p>HGSS<p>

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><p>She found him in his sitting room, a tray of breakfast foods on the table in front of him.<p>

"Tea, Miss Granger?"

"Yes please," she replied. "I don't know that I could stomach much more at the moment."

He nodded, understanding, and waited for her to settle into one of the chairs opposite him. The potions had done their work well; wearing a clean uniform, with her hair already escaping from the messy chignon she'd pulled it into, Hermione Granger looked just like a normal student once more.

Normal until you saw her eyes, at least.

"I don't know where to start," she said quietly.

"It is usually useful to start at the beginning," he suggested. "Why not begin with the circumstances that led to your abduction."

Hermione took a breath. "We were in Hogsmeade, Ron, Harry, and I. Ron and Harry had Lavendar and Ginny with them. They all wanted to go into the Quidditch supply store, so I told them I'd meet them at Scrivenshaft's later. On the way there, I passed by a woman pushing a pram…I didn't see the baby, but a rattle was tossed out. I…I wasn't thinking, really…I just reached down and picked it up, intending to give it back."

She cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea. "It was a Portkey." She looked at him, faintly curious. "Was I reported missing?"

He shook his head. "Not that I have heard. I would have thought that your erstwhile companions…"

"Don't blame them," she interrupted tiredly. "They likely just thought I'd gone back to the castle or something; as I said…their minds were elsewhere."

She fell quiet again, so Snape once more initiated the conversation. "Where were you taken?"

"Some sort of dungeon…I'm not sure where. I think…I never saw any…" she shuddered, "faces, but at one point I noticed a ring. One I recognized." Hermione looked at him desperately. "The potion, _Memoria Summissus_…is it strong enough that I can sit in class with _his_ son and not want to throw up?"

"It is," he assured her.

She seemed temporarily mollified, though still a bit nauseous.

"Miss Granger…Hermione…you don't have to continue," he offered when it seemed like she couldn't find the right words to proceed.

She shook her head. "I do. I have to finish the story."

Snape experienced a strange sense of detachment as he listened to her story unfurl. He had seen this same scenario unfold over and over, had witnessed the atrocities first hand, but this, hearing it from the lips of this witch, was torturous.

It was no less than he deserved.

"…and they left me on the edge of the Forbidden Forrest," she concluded, blowing her nose. "I don't know why I came to your quarters…I mean, it wasn't entirely rational, and…well, I don't mean to be rude, but you've never been particularly kind. I just…I needed someone I could trust."

His eyebrows rose. She'd shocked him for the first time. "Trust? _Me?_"

She nodded. "Yes."

He scoffed and handed her the vial of _Memoria Summissus_ as he palmed his wand and turned the conversation in another direction. One that would get her soulful brown eyes out of his quarters. "It is time for you to take the potion, Miss Granger," he instructed gruffly. "If you stay here any longer you will be missed."

She nodded, choosing not to call him on his clumsy attempt to change the subject.

He watched her carefully as she tipped the liquid down her throat. Then she frowned.

"Professor?" she asked. "Why does this taste like…"

Hermione never finished her sentence; with his lightning-fast reflexes, he drew his wand and uttered a single word.

"_Obliviate_."

Her expression drifted into one of confused neutrality.

"Miss Granger," he said silkily. "I believe you have imposed your presence upon me for long enough. Unless you wish to lose additional House Points, I would suggest you return to your common room."

She blinked rapidly. "Professor?" she said, clearly puzzled. "I'm terribly sorry, I don't know exactly what's going on…what am I doing here?"

Snape sneered, all the while hating himself a little bit more. "Foolish girl; it is a testament to your impressive intellect, I suppose, that you cannot even recall why you showed up at my door this morning unannounced." He glared. "Your paper, Miss Granger…you barged into my office insisting that I had unfairly taken points off your most recent assignment. Naturally, I find your so-called arguments childish and not worthy of my time. You are dismissed."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it. Her fists curled into balls, though her tone remained even.

"Well then. I'm sorry to have bothered you, Sir. Good day."

She left.

She didn't slam the door.

He wished that she had, because the soft click of the latch cut him deeper than any resonating crash.

The potion he'd given her was nothing more mysterious than a headache potion; _Memoria Summissus_ didn't even exist. No potion existed that could wipe out the memories of what had taken place the night before; he would know.

He would do everything in his power to make sure she never found out what happened to her; nobody deserved to live with the memory of what she'd been through. No, he would keep her secret, and he would lie to both of his so-called 'Masters'. He would watch over her too, and would ensure that nothing like this would ever happen again.

She would be safe.

If he did nothing else in his miserable life, he would keep her safe.

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><p>AN: Reviews are love!


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